Pastry Pandemonium
by ElectricSnowman
Summary: "WHAT IS IT WITH YOU STINGY PEOPLE?" Muffet fiercely launched the sign at Mad Dummy's head, ranting obscurely as he passed out. Napstablook silently cowered back, wondering if all this was worth a simple donut. But that was just their FIRST meeting. What happens when Mad Dummy is forced to return to Muffet's bakery after such an embarrassing fiasco to apologize? [POST PACIFIST]
1. The Bakery

**I have officially decided that Mad Dummy deserves more fanfics, which is why I can't help but write more with him! :D**

 **A comic version of this story has also been made by me:** **fav . me / da73emp (without spaces)**

* * *

 _"_ _Mad...?"_

Having been taking a nap, Mad Dummy's eyes shot open when he heard the faint voice. "What!? What do you—" He cut himself off when seeing Napstablook back up. "Oh, it's you...sorry," he lowered his voice, feeling a bit guilty.

 _"_ _That's okay...I probably should've just waited for you to wake up..."_ Napstablook mumbled, looking down.

Mad Dummy awkwardly shook his head. "Did you need something?"

 _"_ _Oh...I was just wondering if you wanted to go somewhere. Y'know...since we haven't done anything together in a really long time..."_ Napstablook shrugged, looking back up. _"You don't have to if you don't want to...you can continue sleeping if you want..."_

"No! I was thinking about waking up soon anyway," Mad Dummy partially lied, but he didn't want to pass up an opportunity to spend time with his cousin. After all, it was the least he could do after practically abandoning his own family.

Napstablook smiled. _"Okay."_

"So, where were you thinking about going?"

 _"_ _Well...I kinda wanted to see the new bakery that just opened a few days ago. If that's okay?"_ Napstablook softly suggested.

Mad Dummy smirked—the closest he ever got to smiling. "Sure. I think it'd be good for me to get out and around, anyway." He usually spent all day standing in Undyne's yard admiring his knife, occasionally hopping out as far as around the block or so. There just weren't many places that caught his interest, and like Napstablook, he wasn't much of a people person.

Napstablook seemed to be very happy, though, which made Mad Dummy feel happy in return. The two cousins eagerly made their way into town, making small talk.

"How's your music mixing coming along?"

 _"_ _It's coming along great. I like sharing my music with people..."_ Napstablook nodded. _"People really enjoy it at Mettaton's performances, too..."_

"That's great, Napstablook. I'm glad you're still doing what you love." Mad Dummy continued hopping forward.

 _"_ _So…what about you? I heard that your dream was to sit in the window of a fancy store..."_ Napstablook frowned a little. _"Is that still true...?"_

Mad Dummy groaned, throwing his nonexistent hands in the air. "Oh for the love of—that was a _JOKE!_ Why does everyone keep taking that seriously!?"

 _"_ _Oh..."_ Napstablook giggled.

"It was supposed to be a sarcastic statement!" Mad Dummy fumed, "As you can see, I'm not fit to be put in any store, period! All these rips, tears, stitches..."

 _"_ _That's good..."_ Napstablook softly stated, and Mad Dummy turned his way in curiosity. _"I mean—I just...wouldn't want you to be gone forever..."_

"Napstablook..." Mad Dummy shook his head, "That's the reason I thought that 'dream' would be stupid! Just sitting in a dumb window all day...who the heck would dream about _that?_ " He chuckled. "I would never leave you guys. Especially now that I've learned my lesson... _trust_ me."

Napstablook smiled as they nearly approached the bakery—specifically named **Miss Muffet's Bakery.** _"I'm gonna get a donut..."_ Napstablook said once they headed inside. _"What do you want?"_

"Hm?" Mad Dummy looked over at a nearby sign that listed various pastries. "You go on ahead—I'm still thinking."

 _"_ _Okay."_ Napstablook headed up to the counter where Muffet stood.

"Ahuhuhu~ Welcome to Miss Muffet's Bakery! What would you like, dearie?" Muffet folded her hands together.

 _"_ _Oh...just a donut, please..."_ Napstablook smiled shyly.

"Of course! That'll be 50 G."

Napstablook pulled out a small wallet from seemingly out of nowhere, immediately frowning when he peered inside. _"Oh..."_ He pulled out a few coins and set them on the counter hopefully. However, he only had barely less than 30 coins. He hadn't brought much since he thought the donut would be much cheaper than that. After all, he remembered that the donuts back in the Ruins being only 7 gold...

"Ahuhuhu~ Sorry, dearie...that's not enough gold," Muffet giggled, shaking her head.

 _"_ _I…I'm sorry..."_ Napstablook felt mighty embarrassed as he put the coins back in his wallet.

Noticing that things seemed to be taking a while, Mad Dummy raised a brow as he glanced at the counter. "Is something wrong?" He asked, hopping up to his cousin.

 _"_ _Oh...I…I just don't have enough money..."_ Napstablook explained solemnly, slowly floating away from the counter.

Mad Dummy narrowed his eyes at Muffet before looking his way. "Hold on—how much money did you have?"

 _"_ _Only 27 gold...the rest of my money I left at home because I…didn't know the donut would be more..."_

Mad Dummy started growling, turning his head to look back at the sign. His eyes nearly popped out as his control over his rage immediately vanished. " _50 GOLD!?_ Are you _KIDDING_ me!?" He barked. "WELL IT'S NO WONDER WE'RE THE ONLY ONES HERE!" He yanked the sign off the stand and hurled it at the counter. Muffet dove down to avoid it, popping back up and glaring at him. "THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! A RIPOFF!"

"We spiders need to making a living, y'know!" Muffet hissed.

"IT'S A FREAKING _DONUT!_ " Mad Dummy roared, flailing around.

Muffet crossed her arms. "Mettaton didn't seem to have a problem with it."

"THE GUY IS FILTHY STINKIN' _RICH_ , FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

 _"_ _M-Mad…we could just...go somewhere else..."_ Napstablook quietly proposed, not wanting things to get out of hand.

Mad Dummy slammed his head against the counter since he had no hands to do so. "MY OTHER COUSIN WANTS A DONUT, AND THAT'S WHAT HE'S GETTING!"

Muffet fought the urge to wring his nonexistent neck. "I'll have you know that this is incredibly generous, considering the spiders in the Ruins no longer have to worry about enduring such horrible weather! You should be grateful!"

"OH, GRATEFUL MY—"

 ** _WHAM!_**

"WHAT IS IT WITH YOU STINGY PEOPLE!?" Muffet had fiercely snatched the sign and launched it at Mad Dummy's head, ranting obscurely as he promptly passed out.

Napstablook silently cowered back, wondering if all this was worth a simple donut. His eyes reluctantly darted from his unconscious cousin to the angry spider.

Muffet suddenly covered her mouth in shock, as if she wasn't expecting the dummy to get injured that badly. "Oh...oh my..." She bit her lip, rocking back and forth for a moment. "Um..." She quickly pulled out a plate full of donuts. "Here, dearie! Take as many as you'd like!" She told Napstablook. "Just...don't tell anyone about this, okay? Ahuhuhu~" She chuckled nervously.

Because Napstablook was worried Muffet might attack him as well, he hastily took 2 donuts and hurried back to the comatose Mad Dummy. _"Oh..."_ He cringed, wondering how he was going to drag his cousin home.

Muffet seemed to acknowledge the ghost's dilemma and reluctantly pulled out a delivery cart from behind her, wheeling it over. "Eh...this may help, dearie. Just bring it back once you're finished, okay?" She forced a smile, although she felt a bit guilty for letting her anger get the best of her.

 _"_ _Okay..."_ Napstablook awkwardly lugged Mad Dummy onto the cart and pulled it out the door.

"Come again sometime!" Muffet tried to sound enthusiastic, but her voice trailed off. "...Maybe..."

Napstablook silently nodded as he left, not wanting to be rude. Still, he knew he wasn't planning on hurrying back anytime soon.


	2. Making Amends

The ghost earned a bit of weird looks and stares from passing bystanders that witnessed him pushing a dummy around in a cart. Napstablook didn't necessarily like all the sudden attention, but he managed to ignore it long enough before he arrived back at Undyne's house.

 _Ding dong!_

"Hey, Napsta—" Undyne paused as soon as she opened the door, blinking at her unconscious punching dummy. "Whoa. What happened to _him?_ "

" _Oh...he...sorta got mad at Muffet, but then she got mad, too..."_ Napstablook mumbled. _"She threw a sign at his head..."_

"Ouch!" Undyne started laughing. "That's exactly why I've never gone to that bakery. I've heard the stuff there is _wicked_ expensive."

" _Yeah..."_ Napstablook looked back down at Mad Dummy. _"Um...where should I put him?"_

"Just in the front yard. Thanks for bringing him back." Undyne chuckled as she walked back inside. The door shut, only to be shoved open again, slamming against the side of the house.

" _MADDY!"_ Mettaton dashed to his two cousins, ogling Mad Dummy in horror. "Oh my word! What happened to him!?"

" _Mettaton...what are you doing here?"_ Napstablook asked, surprised.

"Oh, I just needed Alphys to fix up one of my parts...but what happened to Maddy!?" Mettaton poked Mad Dummy, but he didn't budge.

" _Muffet threw a sign at his head..."_ Napstablook explained again quietly.

"She did **WHAT!"** the robot shrieked. He immediately hopped to his feet, his eyes blazing. "Why that little—!"

" _Wait!"_ Napstablook cried. _"But...but she apologized...she looked really guilty for what she did. She gave me these donuts for free..."_ He held up the two donuts. _"She even gave me this cart to pull Mad home, so please don't be mad...it was all just a big misunderstanding..."_

Mettaton gradually calmed down. "Well, I...I suppose you're right, darling. After all, Maddy never _did_ have the best record for properly handling his anger..." He crossed his arms with a sigh.

" _Do you think...maybe...he should apologize, too?"_ Napstablook muttered.

Mettaton thought about that and smiled. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Blooky! But..." His smile drooped as he looked down at the dummy. "I'm not sure how he'll feel about that. You know how he is about admitting his wrongs..."

As if on cue, Mad Dummy's body parts suddenly flung up from the cart, startling the two. "AGH! WHERE IS THAT PUFFED-UP MONEY-THIEVING BRAT!?"

"Maddy!" Mettaton embraced his cousin happily.

"GAAAHH! CAN YOU **STOP** CALLING ME THAT!?" Mad Dummy screeched, turning red in embarrassment as he frantically looked around to make sure no one was watching.

Mettaton let go and cleared his throat. "Well, now that you're awake," his voice became more serious, "You can apologize to Muffet."

Mad Dummy's mouth came agape, and Napstablook instantly hid behind Mettaton. They could tell how badly the dummy was trying not to explode. "... _What?"_

Mettaton firmly nodded, maintaining his distance.

"ARE YOU _**SERIOUS!?**_ AFTER WHAT THE POMPOUS FOOL DID TO ME, I HAVE TO _APOLOGIZE_ TO HER!? **NO WAY!"** Mad Dummy snatched his knife and blindly swung it around.

" _She...um...said she was sorry...and she didn't mean to hurt you..."_ Napstablook hesitantly remarked. _"Oh...and she even gave me these donuts for free! Do you want one...?"_

"Pfft! A donut from _her!?_ Count me out!" Mad Dummy pouted. "Not after what she did to me!"

Mettaton sighed. "Maddy—er, _Mad_ , Napstablook's right. She even gave him this cart to help you home! She may have rather... _superfluous_ methods of obtaining cash, but she's not a bad person. I'm sure she'll apologize as well if you just _calmly_ confront her—"

"LIKE **HECK** I WILL!" Mad Dummy roared, hurling his knife. It ended up crashing through the window of Undyne's house, and a loud scream was heard, immediately shutting him up. "Oops."

"I think we should get a move on before Undyne finds us," Mettaton quickly pointed out, and the three didn't hesitate to get the heck away from the house.

* * *

"Why do _I_ have to be the one to return the cart!?" Mad Dummy complained as he pushed the cart with his head while Mettaton and Napstablook were at his side.

Mettaton sucked in a deep breath, trying to be patient with his cousin. "Because you're apologizing to Muffet, remember?"

"I still don't see what _I_ did wrong. After all, I didn't knock _her_ out cold!" the dummy hissed.

It didn't take long for the three to arrive at the bakery, but Mad Dummy still refused to enter. By then, Napstablook could tell just how badly Mettaton wanted to throw him inside and get it over with.

" _It won't take that long...you can just return the cart, say you're sorry, and head right back out..."_ Napstablook softly spoke up, not wanting the two to erupt into a brawl.

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere!" Mad Dummy scowled with a pout.

"Not _yet._ " Mettaton clenched his fists, but Napstablook quickly flew in front of him.

" _Please, Mad?"_ The ghost looked up at Mad Dummy. _"For me...?"_

Mettaton squealed and pinched Napstablook's cheek. "No one can say 'no' to such a cute face!"

Mad Dummy groaned, but couldn't help looking down at Napstablook's big, sparkly eyes that were on the verge of tears. "AGH! Why do you always do this to me...!?" With that, he stormed into the bakery.

"Wow, that actually worked!" Mettaton exclaimed. "The fake tears always get him, don't they, Blooky?"

" _Oh...those weren't fake..."_ Napstablook murmured.

Mad Dummy mentally cursed as he shoved the cart ahead, hopping past other people who were sitting at tables. He headed up to the counter and loudly cleared his throat, hitting the reception bell with his nose.

 _Ding!_

No response.

 _Ding!_

Nothing.

 _Ding! ...Ding! DINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDING—_

"I'M COMING!" screeched Muffet as she barged in from a door in the back. Brushing off her dress, she grumbled something unintelligibly before facing him. "Hello! How may I help—" Her face fell. "Oh."

"Cart." Mad Dummy forced the cart forward.

"Um...thank you?" Muffet blinked, taking the cart. She awkwardly tapped her fingers on the counter for a moment before opening her mouth to speak more.

"I see you...er...changed the price on donuts." Mad Dummy mumbled, looking over to his right. Instead of 50 Gold, it had lowered to 20. Still a bit high, but at least it wasn't as severe. "...And got a new sign."

"Well, I've noticed that business wasn't necessarily that good before." Muffet shrugged, placing some croissants on a plate. "Sometimes I just forget that we're not in the underground anymore."

"Hmph." Mad Dummy looked down, still not wanting to apologize, but he could feel Mettaton and Napstablook staring at him through the window. "Well, I—" He glanced back at the counter, but Muffet was gone. He frowned and turned around, watching as she served a plate of croissants to a nearby table. Scowling and thinking that she was trying to ignore him, he angrily hopped after her.

Once Muffet was finished, she crossed her arms, her other hands being placed on her hips. "Continue."

Mad Dummy rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm sure you know by now I was forced to come here." He gritted his teeth, leering at his two cousins who were, indeed, watching him from the window. "You see, about blowing up over the prices, I just wanted to...er..." his eyes trailed to the floor, "...to say, um..."

Muffet raised an eyebrow. Mad Dummy could see Mettaton waving his hands around and signaling him to get on with it. It was beginning to distract him, and he firmly faced Muffet again.

"I mean...I don't _want_ to say this, but...I—"

Mettaton tapped on the glass, frowning and waving his finger in a scolding manner.

Mad Dummy felt his temper rising, and he suppressed a growl. "I just...I'm...what I'm trying to say...I just—ugh...I'm...I'm saying that...eh..."

Mettaton threw his arms up, slapping himself in the head.

" _ **WHAT!?"**_ Mad Dummy finally exploded, startling a bunch of people. "IF I'M DOING SUCH A BAD JOB, WHY DON'T YOU COME IN HERE AND APOLOGIZE _**FOR**_ ME!?"

Muffet just giggled, shaking her head. She tapped on his back, and he whirled around with a scowl. "You can stop stammering, dearie~" She returned to the counter. "I accept your apology."

Mad Dummy suddenly felt a burning heat radiate off his body, specifically his cheeks. He caught himself glancing back at Mettaton, who was wearing a wide grin. Napstablook was smiling a little, too.

Muffet busied herself with some plates, polishing them off with a cloth. "I admit, it was rather selfish of me to expect so much for something so little." She shrugged. "And besides...I suppose all I needed to understand that was to have someone like you knock me to my senses."

Mad Dummy frowned, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "Wait...so you're actually not upset about me yelling at you over something so stupid?"

"It was very unnecessary of me to react so harshly to you, and I apologize. So, I suppose we're even! Ahuhuhu~" She snickered, placing some plates in the sink. "Don't worry about it, dearie. We'll just put all this behind us."

Mad Dummy blinked, completely dumbfounded. He hadn't expected her to be so forgiving, and he almost felt _bad_ about blowing up at her before.

Muffet paused for a moment. "Hm...wait!" She placed a croissant in a small bag before handing it to the dummy. "Here you are. A peace offering, if you will." Her smile was replaced with a serious look. "But just this once. I'm not one to give out free samples."

Mad Dummy stiffly took it. "Okay..." he muttered, suddenly finding himself unable to look her in the eye.

Muffet smiled once again. "I hope to see you again, dearie~ Come again sometime!"

Mad Dummy silently nodded and turned around, hopping to the door., but he stopped. "Um...s-sorry." He turned around rather quickly, unable to rid of the redness that consumed his face. He nearly slammed the door shut, flinching when he caught Mettaton and Napstablook right in front of him.

"Well well." Mettaton couldn't stop grinning. "I've never seen this side of you, darling!"

Mad Dummy shook away his earler daze and snarled. "What side!? I only did what you told me to!" He furiously hopped away.

Mettaton followed him, sharing a glance with Napstablook and beaming wildly. Napstablook stifled a laugh, knowing just what his cousin was thinking.


	3. Unknown Feelings

The walk back to Undyne's house was surprisingly silent in terms of conversation. However, Mad Dummy swore he could hear soft giggles come from behind him every now and then. He couldn't understand what Mettaton was so giggly and smiley about, but it was really beginning to get on his nerves.

Finally, once they were just a block away, Mad Dummy heard a few whispers and a squeak of laughter, and that's when he just about had it.

"Alright—WHAT'S SO FUNNY!?" He yelled at Mettaton, whirling around to face him. "You've been doing nothing but giggle like an annoying school girl ever since we left that bakery, and _IT'S GIVING ME A HEADACHE!"_

"Oh, nothing~" Mettaton snickered. "Maybe the fact that you've been doing nothing but blush like someone who's...I dunno... _madly_ in love?"

Mad Dummy's mouth dropped wide open as his face turned red again, to which he irritably tried to retain his normal complexion. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?"

"Oh, don't act like you don't know." Mettaton winked. "I heard your little apology before you left. Not to mention your constant stammering...the way you tried avoiding eye-contact with her..."

Mad Dummy shook with fury, turning red. "I only apologized because _YOU **FORCED** ME TO!"_ He screamed.

"Trust me, darling. I know just how badly you wanted to be nice to her," Mettaton smiled, "I could see it in your eyes. You felt guilty about yelling at her."

"Okay—SURE, I felt just a LITTLE guilty, but—"

"AHA! So you admit it! You really DO like her!"

"NO I **DON'T!"**

Napstablook cowered back, not wanting to be part of the argument. Once they arrived at Undyne's house, however, the owner was standing firmly at the doorstep, waiting for them. _"Oh...no..."_ The ghost immediately hid behind Mettaton.

"HEY! PUNKS!"

Mad Dummy and Mettaton paused, looking forward.

"WHICH ONE OF YOU BROKE MY WINDOW!?" Undyne hollered as she stormed towards them, spear in hand.

Mettaton pointed at Mad Dummy. "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Mad Dummy shrieked.

"Oh YEAH!? Well you just about gave Alphys a heart attack!" Undyne hissed, raising her spear.

Mettaton cleared his throat. "Excuse me, darling. If you would just let me interrupt for a moment, please, do forgive my cousin. You see, he simply cannot control himself at the moment due to finding a… _ahem_...potential love interest..." He wiggled his eyebrows.

Undyne's eyes became as wide as saucers as the spear vanished. "Say what?"

"I DON'T LOVE HER!" Mad Dummy barked, turning red again.

"You see, after a misunderstanding between him and Muffet, he returned to apologize—" Mettaton began.

"YOU _MADE_ ME APOLOGIZE!"

"It was _so_ adorable, darling! You should've seen him; he could barely look her in the eye! He was so anxious for her forgiveness that he kept stammering..."

"BECAUSE YOU KEPT DISTRACTING ME!" Mad Dummy cut in. He paused. "Wait—I WASN'T ANXIOUS!"

Undyne glanced back and forth between the two, her smile growing wider. "Oh...my...gosh."

"You should've been there! Even Blooky could sense a spark between those two! Isn't that right, Blooky?" Mettaton looked down at the ghost, who didn't want to be put on the spot.

 _"Oh...um...I suppose...?"_ Napstablook whispered, not wanting Mad Dummy to be upset with him.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Undyne exclaimed, trying as hard as she could not to burst into laughter. "You mean he's totally head-over-heels for that spider chick!?"

 _ **"AGH!"**_ Mad Dummy threw his head back. "WHY DO I EVEN BOTHER!?"

"You better believe it, darling!" Mettaton beamed. "I think they'd make such an adorable couple, don't you?"

"OH MY GOSH!" Undyne laughed. "I can totally see it! They both throw temper tantrums when they don't get their way, they're both stubborn...it's no wonder they're attracted to each other!"

"WE'RE **_NOT_ ** ATTRACTED TO EACH OTHER!" Mad Dummy bared his sharp teeth, but it did no good.

"Hey, Mettaton—" Undyne nudged the robot with her elbow. "I wonder if Muffet would smooch a ghost!?" The two howled in laughter as she doubled over, tears in her eyes.

Mad Dummy let their laughter echo through his head. His body shook in fury, unable to contain the constant pang of weakness that overcame him. It was too shameful, too cowardly, and above all, it was too… _familiar_ …

His pupils shrank, and his body proceeded to tear itself apart. "Stop STOP _**STOP!"**_ he screeched, summoning some of his dummy bots. _**"STOP LAUGHING!"**_

Undyne glanced over at the dummy bots and rolled her eyes. "Oh, these things again? I'm _so_ scared." She remembered a miniature dummy attempting to attack her back when she had first met Mad Dummy, but it only managed to give her a measly tap on the shoulder.

 **"MAGIC MISSILE!"** Mad Dummy roared, and the dummy bots fired numerous rockets towards Undyne at full force.

Realizing these were different from his normal dummies, Undyne whipped up a spear and knocked back the missiles, almost without any effort whatsoever. It was obvious that Mad Dummy was in too much rage to properly focus on his attacks.

The furious dummy wasn't finished, though. He proceeded to tear through the yard on a mini rampage, ranting and swearing as he summoned more dummy bots and dummies to completely demolish everything around him. He even ended up knocking over a large tree with his missiles.

Napstablook stared at Undyne the entire time, wondering why she was so... _nonchalant_ about this. Undyne merely released her spear and shook her head. "...And this is exactly why I chose _not_ to live near other houses." With that, she stepped back inside her house, most likely to tell Alphys she was alright.

Mettaton watched his cousin continue his little tantrum and scream at his dummies for not aiming correctly. "I think it's time for us to head home, Blooky," he sighed, turning around.

Napstablook anxiously looked back at Mad Dummy, who was bashing his head against the tree stump and still cursing. _"But...what about—?"_

"I think Maddy needs to be alone for a while. He'll be fine. Won't you, Maddy!?" Mettaton called out.

 **"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"**

"He's fine," Mettaton assured Napstablook. In a louder voice, he added, "He just doesn't know how to handle any emotion that differs from his STUBBORN, HARD-HEADED PERSONA." He narrowed his eyes.

Napstablook tightly shut his eyes, expecting Mad Dummy's missiles to attack, but nothing happened. He slowly looked back, realizing that Mad Dummy didn't even react. The dummy's eyes were shut, and he had stopped banging his head against the stump. Mettaton had already begun to leave, but Napstablook reluctantly approached Mad Dummy, hoping he was alright.

 _"M…Mad...?"_ Napstablook whispered.

"Just...leave me alone, Napstablook..." his cousin answered hoarsely, not looking at him.

Deciding to heed Mettaton's advice and leave him be for the moment, Napstablook silently nodded and followed Mettaton. _"Um...Metta...?"_

"Yes, Blooky?"

 _"Don't you think you were a bit...harsh on Mad?"_

Mettaton chuckled and shook his head. "Maddy just needs to understand that there are other emotions besides being mad and hateful all the time. He's just confused, is all." He patted Napstablook on the head. "Don't you worry, Blooky! He'll be alright; I'm sure of it. He just needs some time to himself to think."

Napstablook looked at the ground, but took his word for it, hoping he was right.


	4. Therapy Session

As mentioned before, Mad Dummy was never much of a people person. But, at the moment, he was willing to do anything and _everything_ to get his mind off of what he was feeling.

So, of course, almost everyone in Grillby's found it very out-of-place as soon as the dummy set foot inside without a word. He silently hopped up to the counter and took a seat, slamming his head down and gritting his teeth.

Some people around him discreetly scrambled to different seats. Although not many had seen Mad Dummy, they've heard enough from certain rumors and even Mettaton himself. Knives, missiles, and a short temper didn't necessarily equal a happy person.

"..." Grillby raised a brow and stepped over to Mad Dummy. "..." He blinked, but cleared his throat and lowly asked, "...What'll it be?"

"Ugh...just get me some soda. Any kind will do." Mad Dummy grouched, not lifting his head.

The quiet bartender nodded in compliance and turned around, grabbing the soda out of a cooler. He set in front of Mad Dummy, who pushed a couple gold coins his way.

"Thanks," the dummy mumbled, still not looking at anyone.

" **hey, Grillbz...put it on my tab, will ya?"** a voice came from next to him. Mad Dummy looked up and saw Sans, who gave him a friendly wink.

Grillby narrowed his eyes at Sans, but nodded and went back to his business.

Mad Dummy grudgingly took back his coins. "You shouldn't have even bothered," he hissed, flopping his head back on the counter.

" **i know. i just felt you needed it."** Sans took a seat next to him, much to Mad Dummy's displeasure. **"so. what's got you _down in the dumps?"_** He grinned.

Mad Dummy seethed in his chair. "I don't live at the garbage dump anymore, you bonehead."

Sans innocently shrugged. **"welp. it was worth a shot."** He took a ketchup bottle, but after the frightening glare he received from Grillby, he slowly set it back. **"i'll just have a burger, Grillbz."** He turned to face Mad Dummy. **"so, what's up? for someone who calls himself the** _ **'Mad'**_ **Dummy, you seem less...** _ **mad**_ **than usual. you seem more sad."**

"Just beat it!" the dummy threatened, whipping his head towards the skeleton.

" **heh. i would, but i didn't order eggs,"** Sans chuckled, and a few other people that were near him snickered. Mad Dummy glowered at the counter. He would've pulled out his knife, but he wasn't in the mood to make a scene. Also, the last thing he wanted was to be on the wrong side of the media, which Mettaton constantly warned him about. "Go away."

" **come on, bud; just let it out. i'm a great listener. well—despite my lack of ears, anyway,"** Sans smirked.

"It's none of your business!" Mad Dummy groaned, just wishing everyone would get off his case.

Sans shrugged it off as Grillby brought him his burger. **"alright, alright. then i'll just pretend i didn't happen to run into Muffet on the way here."**

Mad Dummy flinched and nearly spilled his soda. Sans's grin grew even wider as Mad Dummy slowly and eerily turned his head to face him, a deranged look in his eyes. "Don't you DARE start on that. DON'T. YOU. **DARE."**

Sans raised his hands in surrender. **"hey, lighten up; i was just grabbin' something for my bro, and i noticed she seemed to be acting different. when i asked what was up, she mentioned some dummy. and now, i just so happened to run into you here. small world, eh?"** He laughed.

"Go on. Keep laughing. I **dare** you!" Mad Dummy spat, a deadly glint in his features as he wielded a death grip on his knife.

" **i'm not laughing to make fun of you,"** Sans remarked, raising a brow. **"whatever you did, she seemed really happy."**

Mad Dummy turned red, facing his soda again. He was almost tempted to ask what she told him, but he forcefully shook those thoughts out of his head. "I don't care," he grumbled, sipping his soda.

" **doesn't** _ **look**_ **like it, from that complexion."**

 _ **THWAP!**_

Mad Dummy thrust his knife into the middle of the counter, and the whole bar grew dead silent. He was sick of everyone laughing at him, and he was just one snicker away from going on another rampage whether the media liked it or not.

Sans's grin seemed to lessen a bit, but returned as he waved it off in an attempt to ease the tension. Some people turned away and resumed talking, but others were still pretty quiet.

" **listen...i think you and i both know you prefer not to attract unwanted attention. so, i'll tell you what—"** Sans finished his burger (while Mad Dummy was still trying to figure out _how_ he did so) and stood up, **"why don't we just take a walk? maybe talk it out?"** When seeing the dummy roll his eyes and turn away, Sans chuckled. **"hey, you'd be surprised how much it helps to tell other people what's up..."** His laughter died down a little as he remembered explaining to Toriel about "resets" recently, but he shook it off. **"believe me."**

Mad Dummy narrowed his eyes at him as he resumed sipping his soda, not responding at first. All he wanted to do was stay and mope around, but something told him that Sans wasn't joking around this time. Conflicted emotions spread across his face before he hopped down angrily. "Fine. Fine! FINE! WHATEVER!" He grouched, shoving the barstool back. He stormed out the door with a dirty look, but actually felt a bit relieved to be away from all those people.

Sans followed him out and held an arm out in front of him. **"shall we walk? ...or in your case, hop?"** He grinned. Mad Dummy gave him the evil eye, but hopped ahead anyway. **"so, care to fill me in?"**

Mad Dummy snorted. "I don't see why I have to pour out my problems to you like you're my therapist. I only came out here because it's better than staying in _there!"_

" **come on,"** Sans urged. **"you know me—i'm too lazy to spread rumors. also, by the looks of that knife, i don't think i** _ **want**_ **to."**

Mad Dummy immediately glanced down and put his knife away, not wanting anyone else to see it. "You're wasting your time," he muttered.

" **look at me—do you** _ **really**_ **think i'm one to worry about wasting time? it's one of the things i do best,"** Sans told him with a laugh.

Mad Dummy, knowing that he obviously couldn't get rid of Sans, gave up. "Alright—you wanna know what's wrong!? I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! _THAT'S_ WHAT'S WRONG!" he hollered in exasperation.

Sans raised a brow at this new response. **"can't take what?"**

"Ever since I left that bakery, I've been developing these… _'feelings'_ …" Mad Dummy shuddered in disgust. "AGH! And I hate it HATE IT _HATE IT!"_

" **what…** _ **kind**_ **of feelings?"** Sans couldn't suppress a grin.

"I DON'T _KNOW!"_ the dummy screamed at him. "All I know is that everyone keeps making fun of me for it! And the worst part is that I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT HER!"

Sans whipped his head towards him. **"...** _ **her?"**_

" _IT!_ I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT _IT!_ THESE FEELINGS!" Mad Dummy was redder than ever, and he looked extremely frantic.

Sans nodded slyly. **"alright...so...'** _ **these**_ _**feelings**_ **'...are they happy? ...sad? ...downright atrocious?"**

Mad Dummy was strangely quiet, much to the skeleton's surprise. "I...I don't _know_ what to think of them..."

" **whaddaya mean you don't—"**

"I MEAN _I DON'T_ _ **KNOW!"**_ Mad Dummy interrupted, banging his head against a lamp post. People were starting to stare, but he could care less. "I JUST WANT THEM TO STOP!"

" **hey, buddy...calm down. sometimes trying to ignore certain feelings will only make you even more miserable,"** Sans told him.

"OH, AS IF I'M NOT ALREADY MISERABLE _ENOUGH!"_ Mad Dummy exploded. His body flung apart and scattered in different directions. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW IT FEELS TO BE TREATED LIKE A _CHILD_ ALL THE TIME!? _'Oh, please don't kill anyone, Maddy!' 'Try being a little sensitive, Maddy!' 'If you weren't my cousin, I'd knock you senseless, Maddy!' 'For the last time, DON'T STAB ANYONE, MADDY, OR ELSE I'LL TAKE AWAY YOUR KNIFE!'_ Gosh—and people wonder why I'm so MAD all the time! NOBODY _**TRUSTS**_ ME!"

" **have you ever considered...er...not threatening to stab people?"** Sans suggested.

"I don't need to manage my anger—I just need everyone _else_ to manage NOT TO TICK ME OFF!" Mad Dummy barked.

" **okay, Mad..."** Sans snickered as he shook his head, **"as much as i'd love to stand here and talk about your interesting morals, let's just bring up the elephant in the room—what is it about Muffet that stands out to you?"**

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that she never treated me like a freakin' _criminal!?_ I mean, yeah, she threw a sign at my head, but then she _APOLOGIZED_ for it! She didn't kick me out, threaten me, call the police—she actually treated me with decency! THAT'S JUST...something...I rarely receive..." He lowered his voice, staring at the ground. Suddenly, it occurred to him that Sans managed to mention his obvious feelings towards Muffet without receiving a completely unceremonious response. "Wait WAIT _WAIT—"_

" **hey, don't worry about it. i won't tell anyone,"** Sans assured him. **"too lazy to gossip, remember?"**

Mad Dummy griped to himself, hanging his head. "I swear to gosh, if you so much as _hint_ this to anyone—"

" **my lips are sealed. well, they would be if i had lips, anyway."** Mad Dummy was about ready to blow up again, but Sans quickly raised his hands in reassurance. **"okay, okay...nobody'll hear a peep from me about it. got it?"** He grinned.

"That's better." Regret consumed Mad Dummy's mind, but he knew he couldn't take back what he said. "I'm...going home," he grouched, turning around. "Thanks for listening, I guess. I feel a little better." He didn't want to admit it, but he really did feel better.

" **no problem, bud. give me a shout if you ever need someone to talk to."** Sans waved.

Mad Dummy nodded rather stiffly and started hopping back to Undyne's house.


	5. Unexpected Detour

The scorching sun beat down on Mad Dummy as he trudged home. He couldn't help but laugh a little in gratitude, knowing if dummies could sweat, he'd be a soaking mess. Still, the humidity was gradually decreasing his stamina.

"Lousy sun..." He complained, trying to ignore the heat. It was one of the main reasons he had lived in Waterfall, after all. He loved the cool temperature, and the best part was that it never changed...unlike here. Here, there were actually different types of weather and seasons to look forward to. _Joy._

Every now and then, Mad Dummy stopped under the shade of a few buildings, but all he wanted to do at the moment was return home and take a well-deserved nap. He soon approached the curb, stopping to wait for cars to pass by. He shut his eyes and let out a deep sigh in an attempt to clear his mind, but his headache wasn't helping. "This humidity's killing me..."

It was then that the dummy felt a gentle tap on his back. With a loud groan, he rolled his eyes, not in the mood to deal with anyone. "In the words of my cousin— **NOT REALLY FEELIN' UP TO IT RIGHT NOW!"** He snapped.

"Quite all right, dearie...I suppose I'll speak with you later, then, if that's alright?"

Mad Dummy nearly stopped breathing, recognizing the voice. _(Oh gosh.)_ His body trembled, and he didn't dare turn around for fear that she was upset at him. _(Oh gosh. Oh gosh. OH GOSH. I didn't mean to yell at her. Oh gosh, she probably thinks I'm still mad at her. OH GOSH WHAT IF SHE DOESN'T FORGIVE ME ANYMORE OH GOSH I'M A TERRIBLE PERSON—)_

Muffet gave his back another tap. "The light is red...you can go ahead and cross now," she softly told him.

Mad Dummy gave a muffled squeak, still not moving. His eyes stared straight ahead, not even blinking.

"Are you alright?" Muffet sounded concerned, wondering why he wasn't responding. She carefully turned him around, eyes widening at his pale complexion. "Dearie?"

Mad Dummy found himself staring into her eyes, and he couldn't stop shaking. _(Wow...I never noticed how cute those pigtails looked on her until now...)_ He shook his head, wishing he had hands to slap himself with. "I...I...um..." He wanted to run away so bad, but he felt paralyzed. Before he could compose himself, however, a wave of fatigue passed over him as he realized just how feverish he felt from the heat.

Muffet covered her mouth, noticing steam beginning to rise from him. "Oh my—you're burning up!"

"Eh?" Mad Dummy flushed dark red, suddenly feeling lightheaded. "Hey...was the sun always this...hot...?" he dumbly stammered, and the last thing he remembered was the back of his head hitting the concrete before he passed out.

* * *

Mad Dummy was in the most peaceful state he had ever been. As he snoozed, he dreamt about the usual: his precious knives, stabbing those who dared to get in his way, and occasionally, spending time with his dear cousins. The last one in particular was personally his favorite, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

While dreaming about enjoying some nice cream with his family, however, a very loud and abrupt crash awakened him.

"Hey HEY _**HEY!**_ **PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE—"** he started, only to cut himself short when eyeing his surroundings. "What the...?"

This wasn't his home. In fact, he didn't even have a bed; all he did was sleep in Undyne's yard. Not that he minded, anyway; Alphys would often get after Undyne for not giving him a decent place to sleep, but seeing how he never complained, Undyne didn't bother with it. Besides, he was one of those weird people who often slept standing up. For once, he felt rather comfortable laying down, though...

Back to the subject of the matter. Mad Dummy hopped off the bed he had been sleeping on, wavering around a bit in dizziness. Thinking it was best to sit back down, he did so as his eyes searched the room for any sort of familiarity, but none was found. The walls were a dark shade of lavender, also decorated with cobwebs in fancy designs. A desk was beside the bed with a glass of water, and there was a shelf on the other side of the small room, filled with various cook books on pastries.

Wait. Cobwebs...pastries...

"Oh gosh." Mad Dummy would've passed out all over again, but he figured he had already been unconscious enough today.

Mad Dummy heard footsteps hurry up the stairs and wasn't surprised to see Muffet stick her head in. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to wake you up; I was just having a bit of...trouble with something..." She stated anxiously.

Having a strange feeling of _deja vu_ and thinking of Napstablook, Mad Dummy groggily shook his head. "It's fine," he muttered, still trying to shake off the after-effects of being out in the heat for too long. Now that he thought back on it, maybe that soda from Grillby's didn't necessarily help hydrate him...

"Are you feeling better? I...set out a glass of water since I assumed you may have been a bit dehydrated," Muffet told him, somehow reading his mind.

Mad Dummy had almost forgotten about the water, and he took a small sip. "Thanks," he said quietly, still feeling a bit uncomfortable maintaining eye contact with her.

"Well, I suppose...now that you're already here..." Muffet cleared her throat, "...perhaps, I could speak with you? That is, unless you should be getting home. I understand if that is the case." She politely folded her hands and waited for his response.

Mad Dummy felt warm again, but this time it wasn't from the heat outside. His eyes fell to the ground as he sipped his water. "Uh...I...guess it's okay..." He was curious what she wanted to talk to him about.

Muffet sat at a chair. "I just wanted to tell you how thankful I was for your honesty. Of course, not that I necessarily enjoyed your attitude in that situation—" Mad Dummy shot her an offended glare. "But! Due to acknowledging your complaint and lowering my prices, I have several more customers, which I am grateful for. After all...I've never had someone actually call me out like that before." She laughed a little, knowing everyone had always been too intimidated to do so. "I also really appreciate that you returned to apologize...even after what I did to you." She blushed in embarrassment, purposely glancing away. "Just...thank you, dearie. Without your help, I would've never had the nerve to act on bettering my shop for everyone."

Mad Dummy gradually looked up at her, speechless from her words. This was the first time anyone was actually _okay_ with him getting mad, let alone _grateful_ for it! He couldn't stop shaking his head, feeling as though this was all wrong.

"Is something the matter, dearie?" Muffet frowned.

Mad Dummy gritted his teeth. "I just...I don't get it! _I'm_ the one who acted like the jerk first! Why are you _thanking_ me!? I'm the _MAD_ Dummy! Everyone's always scolding me for my temper, judging me for it...but you! You just keep being so... _nice_ about it! Doesn't it bother you at all?"

Muffet looked quite startled at first, but then she covered her mouth and started snickering at him. "Honestly? I think it's quite adorable."

Mad Dummy's scowl shifted to a look of complete and utter perplexity. "...I— _what?"_ He was... _adorable?_ Normally, being known as the _Mad_ Dummy, he'd find that insulting. But something like that coming from her, it actually made him feel... _flattered_. An uncharacteristic noise suddenly escaped him, and he immediately swung his head into the pillow on the bed.

Muffet literally laughed out loud. "Did you just... _giggle?"_

"SHUT UP!" Mad Dummy's muffled voice responded, but it was evident he was laughing as well. He had never giggled like that before in his life, and he never knew he _could_. Desperately trying to regain his dignity, he raised his head and hopped off the bed. "I should—" He cleared his throat, noticing his voice was higher than normal. "I should probably get home, now." He started forward, but couldn't get far without feeling a bit woozy again.

"Oh!" Muffet helped him balance. "I think you still haven't fully recovered yet." She paused, debating whether to ask him something. "Do you...mind if I help walk you home?"

Mad Dummy shifted a bit, and he wanted so badly to bury his head in the pillow again. "...Sure..." He started hopping down the stairs as she followed close behind, and he soon realized that they had been in the bakery the entire time. It seemed to be closed, however, as the lights were off and not a single person was seen. "Oh, I didn't know you lived here."

"Why do you think the building is so tall, silly?" Muffet laughed. "Besides, I wanted to live close to my shop, of course, so why not in it?" She headed out the door and held it open for him, then shut it and locked it. "So. Where's your house?"

"Oh...um..." Mad Dummy's mind went completely blank for a moment. He turned his head to the right, eyes lighting up in recognition. "Oh! Right. I live in Undyne's yard. Y'know where her house is?"

"Hm...not really. I knew where she lived back in the underground. You think you could lead the way?"

"Uh...okay." Mad Dummy awkwardly hopped up front as they headed down the sidewalk.

"So, you don't have a house of your own? Why don't you live with your cousins?" Muffet asked him curiously.

"Well...first off, I've had experience with that." Mad Dummy snorted. "I love those guys to death, but I enjoy my space. Second, I guess you could say my 'job' is being a punching bag. I met Undyne back...wow...about 15 years ago...? Anyway, she needed something to train with that wouldn't get completely destroyed, and I volunteered. Ever since, I've just been living in her yard, and I still do. I'm perfectly content with it." He shrugged.

Muffet nodded, interested in learning more about the dummy. "So, what's your dream?" He raised a brow and gestured for her to elaborate. "Like, what have you always wanted to accomplish on the surface?"

It took Mad Dummy a long time to think about that. However, he was relieved that she didn't know about the whole _'sit in the window of a fancy store'_ rumor that spread around ever since he fought Frisk. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I've never really had a dream."

"Really?" Muffet raised a brow. "Well, my dream had always been to open a successful bakery and earn enough cash to help the spiders that can't get enough for themselves. It's mostly come true ever since our return to the surface, but...not a lot of customers would show up. At least, not until _now_." She smiled, giving him a look of thanks once again.

Mad Dummy kept his eyes on the ground, trying not to lose his cool. He felt a bit ashamed that he couldn't think of a dream to share. What kind of dreams would a guy like _him_ have, anyway? All he did for fun was admire his knife and threaten to stab whoever looked at him funny.

"Hm..." Muffet tapped her chin as she examined him, and he suddenly felt very self-conscious. "Surely you have _some_ kind of dream! Are you just too shy to tell me?" She smirked.

"N-No! I just...um..." Mad Dummy frowned, digging around his thoughts and memories. Slowly, his eyes began to widen as he thought of something he had wanted for years, and a smile crossed his face without even realizing it. "Well, actually..." he began, and Muffet's grin widened, "...reuniting with my cousins was always my dream. And I accomplished it, too."

"Aww!" Muffet clasped her hands together and beamed. "That is so sweet~ I think that's a wonderful dream, dearie!"

"Th...thanks..." Mad Dummy felt weird receiving praise for once in his life, and he stared at the ground to avoid her gaze again. He tried to hide his smile, but Muffet noticed it.

"I do believe this is the first time I've seen you smile, dearie~" she teased. "It sure does look a lot better than that constant scowl of yours."

Mad Dummy attempted to conceal his smile again, but slammed into a lamp post due to staring at the sidewalk instead of what was in front of him.

"You alright?" Muffet stifled a laugh, and he quickly nodded.

"I'm fine," he muttered, shaking away his dizziness.

"You're not about to pass out again, are you?"

Mad Dummy shook his head. The temperature had certainly dropped since his earlier mishap, so he didn't feel nearly as hot as before. Still, throwing himself into the nearest lake didn't seem like a bad idea at the moment, whether he was hot or not...

"So, does that happen...often?" Muffet asked him.

"What?" He blinked, then realized she was talking about him fainting earlier. "Oh, no—that's the first time it ever happened. Usually the weather hasn't bothered me _that_ much since I came up here; I'm just used to cooler temperatures than this since I come from Waterfall."

"Ah, I see. We spiders like the heat, which is why I've lived in Hotland all my life," Muffet told him. "Summer days like this are just my cup of tea."

Mad Dummy nodded as he turned around the corner, soon realizing he was now approaching Undyne's yard. He frowned instantly as he came to a halt, wondering why everything had seemed to go by so fast.

"Oh." Muffet frowned a little, too, but quickly forced a smile. "Well! I suppose this is...goodbye?"

"Yeah. I...guess so," Mad Dummy mumbled, looking at the grass. For once, he actually didn't want to leave, though.

"I had a really nice time talking with you," Muffet told him. "Perhaps, we could...do it again sometime?"

Mad Dummy almost immediately nodded. "Of course!" Muffet looked startled, and he shrank back, feeling like a total idiot. "Uh—I m-mean...I...wouldn't m-mind...of course...if that's o-okay with you?" He grinned anxiously, teeth chattering.

Muffet giggled with a blush. "Of course it's okay with me, dearie~" She gave him a peck on the cheek and turned around. "I'll see you again soon! Ahuhuhu~"

Mad Dummy ogled her as she sauntered off, frozen stiff. He couldn't move, and he felt himself grow hotter throughout his entire body. It was as if all his anger had magically melted away, he found that he couldn't stop smiling.

"Oh gee~" With that, he passed out for the third time that day.


	6. Preparations

**2 Days Later…**

 _Ring ring!_

Napstablook picked himself off the floor and took off his headphones. He flew over to the phone and answered it. _"Hello...?"_

"Hey, it's Undyne," Undyne answered, sounding really fed up over something. "Just out of curiosity, do you know what's going on today, if anything at all...?"

Napstablook was confused. _"No…why?"_

"WELL," Undyne began loudly, obviously directing her attention towards an unknown annoyance, "Your cousin keeps spinning around and dancing in my front yard singing something about _'today's the day'_." Napstablook could tell she was trying not to lose her temper. "I told him to shut up like five times and he won't stop!"

Napstablook nodded, but then it dawned on him which cousin she was talking about. _"Wait…are you talking about MAD...?"_

"Well, Mettaton's obviously with _YOU_ , isn't he!?"

Napstablook paused to think about that. He slowly flew over to Mettaton's room and saw that the door was shut, meaning that he was home. The robot was actually very quiet in there, surprisingly…

"…Napstablook?" Undyne's voice broke him from his train of thought. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to yell at you…sorry." She knew how overly sensitive the ghost could be.

 _"_ _Oh, I'm fine…"_ Napstablook shook his head. _"I'll go tell Mettaton and see if he can help."_

"Okay—" Undyne's voice grew faint, and he could hear her screaming at someone. "CAN YOU JUST _SHUT UP_ FOR TWO SECONDS!? I'M ON THE PHONE!" She cleared her throat and spoke normally again. "Thanks a bunch!" she told Napstablook before hanging up.

Napstablook set down the phone and phased through the door of Mettaton's room. _"Metta…I think something's wrong with Mad…"_

"Hm?" Mettaton had been hanging upside-down from his bed, reading a magazine. "What do you mean? Is he throwing another tantrum? Cuz that's normal, darling."

 _"_ _Um…the opposite, actually…"_ Napstablook still couldn't believe it. _"Undyne said he was dancing and singing about 'today's the day'…and she couldn't get him to stop…"_

"Today?" Mettaton paused, and a loud gasp suddenly escaped him as he tossed his magazine behind him. "Oh, Blooky! This is BRILLIANT!"

 _"_ _It is…?"_

"You haven't heard!?" Mettaton picked up his cousin and swung him around. "They hit it off! Mad and Muffet are going on a _DATE!"_

Napstablook was speechless. _"Wait…really!? But...how did you—?"_

"Oh, I get around, darling!" Mettaton wiggled his eyebrows. "News like this can _never_ get past me! Our little Maddy is growing up!" He wiped a tear from his eye. After he set Napstablook down, he lit up and flashed a grin. "Come on, Blooky! We gotta go out and get things to help him get ready, PRONTO!" He scooped up Napstablook in his arms and bolted out the door.

* * *

Alphys and Undyne stood by the window, staring at Mad Dummy as he danced around.

"W-Well, at least he's not destroying the yard, r-right?" Alphys laughed anxiously.

"Yeah, but I'd rather have him slamming his head against a tree stump than PERPETUALLY SINGING AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS!" Undyne snapped at the window, but the dummy ignored her.

"Uh...a-actually, I'm pretty sure dummies don't have lungs," Alphys pointed out.

Before Undyne could respond, she caught sight of Mettaton and Napstablook. "THANK GOODNESS!" She yanked the door open. "CONTROL YOUR COUSIN, WILL YA!?"

"Don't worry, darling! We'll take care of him!" Mettaton had an armful of large shopping bags, and Napstablook followed close behind with three hats stacked on his head. "OH, _MAAADDY!"_

Mad Dummy poked his head out from behind a tree. "STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

Mettaton just grinned wildly as he raised his shopping bags. "Guess who just heard the news!~"

It took a second for his words to register, and Mad Dummy's face completely shifted into a look of horror. "No. NO NO NO! You are NOT getting involved in this!"

"Too late, darling!" Mettaton sang. "We're here to get you all fancied up for your—"

"DON'T SAY IT!"

"— _Date!"_

"Date!?" The door swung open, and Undyne's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "So _THAT'S_ what this was all about!?" She burst into laughter. "Wow, Mad!"

"Oh my gosh...th-that's adorable..." Alphys giggled, and redness consumed Mad Dummy's body as he bared his sharp teeth. Undyne and Alphys got the message and shut the door.

"Well, let's not just sit around and lollygag!" Mettaton walked up to him with all his bags. "Let's get you all ready!"

"Wait, _here?_ Why can't we just do this at _your_ place!?" Mad Dummy frowned.

"Because Undyne's house is much closer to the bakery, and you don't want to be late! Also, I knew you wouldn't want to wear anything of mine, so I bought you some clothes of your own!" Mettaton gestured to the shopping bags.

"Oh. _Joy_."

"No need for sarcasm. After all, you wanted to dress up in a fancy shop, didn't you?" Mettaton frowned.

"THAT WAS A **_JOKE!"_** Mad Dummy screamed. "WHY DOES **_EVERYONE_** KEEP BELIEVING THAT RUMOR!?"

"Oh. That makes a _lot_ more sense." Mettaton snickered. "Well! Let's get you cleaned up, darling!" He picked up the dummy and ran into the house, ignoring his threats and shouts. "Blooky, would you be a dear and tell Undyne he'll be in the bathtub for a while!?"

 _"_ _Oh...okay..."_ Napstablook nodded and flew inside. He found Alphys and Undyne sitting on the couch. _"Hey, Undyne...?"_

Undyne faced him. "Oh, hi Napstablook! How's Mad getting' along?" She smirked.

 _"_ _He'll be in the bathtub for a while...if that's alright...? Just thought I'd tell you, so you don't...um...accidentally walk in on him at an awkward moment..."_

"That's fine." Undyne waved it off. Napstablook started to float away, hearing her shout, "Just don't let him go overboard with the shampoo! You have no idea how expensive that stuff is!"

Napstablook phased through the door of the bathroom where, unsurprisingly, Mettaton and Mad Dummy were arguing.

"For Pete's sake, Mad, you literally used to live at the _dump!_ You're way overdue for a bath!" Mettaton was yelling.

"Oh _puh-lease!_ I washed myself off _plenty_ of times in the waterfall back underground!" Mad Dummy retorted.

"Yeah— _underground!_ It's been nearly a month since we've arrived on the surface, Maddy!" Mettaton threw his arms up, but forcefully took a deep breath to calm himself. "Look," he said calmly, placing a hand on his cousin. "I'm not forcing you to do this because I want to see you suffer—I want you to at least look nice for your first date!"

"I know. I know...I KNOW!" Mad Dummy irritably shook his head. "Ugh...let's just get it over with."

"Good. Then just...um..." Mettaton suddenly frowned, glancing over at the bathtub that was full of water. "Hey, Blooky...could you come here?" he muttered, and Napstablook flew over to him with a raised brow. They observed the bathtub, then looked at Mad Dummy, who was sulking in the corner. The two shared knowing glances for a moment, speaking to each other with their eyes. Napstablook immediately shook his head and timidly backed up, not wanting to tell Mad Dummy their idea.

Mettaton cleared his throat. "Mad, I think you're gonna have to phase out." He scratched the back of his head with uncertainty.

Mad Dummy blinked. "I'm gonna have to _what?"_

"I don't want you to drown yourself, darling! It's...quite difficult to wash yourself without arms..."

It took the dummy a second before he realized what the robot was telling him. He was going to have to phase out of his body. "W... _what_ …" Just the thought of it made him nauseous. "You can't be serious! Are you serious!?" He shrank back, tone dripping with insecurity.

"I'm afraid so. Now, go on!" Mettaton smiled.

 _(No. NEVER. Not in a million years.)_ Mad Dummy wanted to scream those words so badly, but the only answer that escaped him was a childish complaint. "C...can't I stay in here just a little longer...?"

"No buts! You want to be all nice and clean for your date, don't you!?" Mettaton placed his hands on his hips. "I know I'm not fond of doing it either, but we don't have all day!"

Mad Dummy refused to look at them and anxiously rocked back and forth. His cousin did have a point, and he hated it. "F-Fine. Just...er..." He stumbled over his words, blushing red. "JUST DON'T LOOK AT ME!" His two cousins instantly whirled around, and they heard the dummy fall to pieces on the ground. "Okay..." Slowly, they turned to face him.

Mad Dummy was now in his original ghost form. He looked a lot like Napstablook, except with a brownish tint. Stitches covered various parts of his body, and his drapes at the bottom looked rather ripped and torn.

"Th-there...are you happy now?" Mad Dummy—or rather Madstablook—grumbled, still not looking at them. He hadn't phased out of his body in years, so it felt very uncomfortable and awkward.

"Oh, Maddy~" Mettaton placed both hands on his cheeks. "You're just as cute as I remember!"

 **"** **I'M** ** _NOT_** **CUTE!"** Madstablook hollered as he flew up in his face. Although he felt flattered being called 'adorable' by Muffet, it was different coming from his cousin. He picked up the pieces of his body and dropped them into the tub, scowling to himself.

Mettaton chuckled. "Alright, just make sure you clean up nicely! Use lots of soap, and—"

"I get it, _Mom_. Now, do you mind? Privacy is much appreciated!" Madstablook barked, although he didn't look nearly as threatening as a ghost.

"We'll be waiting outside." Mettaton and Napstablook went out the door and shut it.

* * *

After nearly a half-hour had passed, Madstablook opened the door. "Alright, I'm done," he muttered. "Now can I get back in my body?" He fidgeted around, eager to get back in familiar territory.

Mettaton peeked inside and blinked at his cousin's sopping wet body. "Um...I think it's best that you leave it to dry, first..."

"ARE YOU **_SERIOUS!?"_** Madstablook screeched.

 _"_ _Well...couldn't we just speed things up by putting his body in the dryer...?"_ Napstablook suggested.

"THANK YOU! I'm glad _someone_ has some common sense, here!" Madstablook rushed into the bathroom and took no hesitation to grab his body, flying out and looking for the laundry room.

* * *

Madstablook groaned loudly and proceeded to pace impatiently by the dryer. He heard footsteps enter the room, and Undyne gave him a glance as she walked past him with a basket full of clothes. She got about a couple steps forward before she came to a screeching halt.

"WHOA—hold the phone!" She whipped her head around to face him again as a spear materialized into her hand. "Who are you and what're you doing in my house!?"

"What?" Madstablook looked up and frowned, but he soon realized she had never seen his ghost form before. "Oh, for crying out loud—it's me, Mad!"

Undyne blinked, trying to see the resemblance. "Wait...what?" She looked him over, and her eyes widened as her mouth dropped wide open in realization. _"OH!"_

"Are the wheels in your head turning now?" Madstablook rolled his eyes.

"Sheesh, Mad! Don't scare me like that!" Undyne shook her head and started laughing at her own stupidity. "I know you told me you were a ghost inside that dummy all these time, but it's been 15 years and I've _never_ seen you like that before!"

"Yeah, well, believe me...I'm dreading every second of it," he grouched, turning away from her.

"What's wrong with being a ghost?" Undyne asked.

Madstablook crossed his stubby arms. "It's just—just _look_ at me! Do I look even the least bit _intimidating_ to you!?" He shouted.

Undyne looked him over. "What, is being a _dummy_ supposed to be more intimidating?"

"A lot more than _THIS!"_ Madstablook told her.

"Well, why do you feel the need to look intimidating?"

He rolled his eyes and glared at the ground. "Er…it's just…a couple jerks back underground always mocked me over my ghost form, telling me how 'cute' and 'harmless' I looked. Nobody ever took me seriously, and I _hated_ it. That's why I wanted a body so badly. A dummy wasn't necessarily my 'dream' body, but at least it got the point across."

Undyne studied the ghost for a moment, sensing there was a _lot_ more to his story than just that. It was oddly difficult to read him quite often, but nonetheless, she nodded in understanding as she set the basket aside. "Well, I just wanna let you know that, even as a kid, I never found you 'cute' and 'harmless'. Having that mindset for 15 years isn't going to change my opinion on you over some different form."

"I know." Madstablook shook it off. "I'm just...really attached to my body. Being the 'Mad Dummy' feels a lot more like _me_ , y'know?"

 _Ding!_ The dryer had finished, and the ghost took no hesitation in jerking the door open. He immediately phased into his body, sighing with relief and feeling nice and warm.

Undyne shook her head and laughed as she walked out of the room. "Whatever floats your boat, Mad."

Besides—whatever he was hiding, it was probably best he didn't think about it, especially on a night such as this.

* * *

 **Yup, my headcanon name for Mad Dummy's ghost is Madstablook. XD Also, I see Undyne and Mad Dummy as childhood friends. You can read my story "Just a Punching Bag" for more info on how they met.**

 **Next chapter is the date! :3**


	7. The Date

Mad Dummy glared at his reflection in the mirror as Mettaton straightened his bow tie. The dummy was also wearing a tuxedo with no sleeves since he had no arms.

"Ohhh!" Mettaton squeaked, clasping his hands together as he admired his cousin's suit. "You look perfect!"

"I feel violated," Mad Dummy hissed.

Mettaton ignored his comment and placed the other suits back in the shopping bag to return later. "Blooky, why don't you give him one of your hats? I think he'd look absolutely stunning!"

Napstablook nodded and took a top hat off the desk. _"Here..."_ He placed it on the dummy's head. _"I bought it myself...I think it'd look pretty nice..."_

Mad Dummy laughed a little as he looked back at the mirror. "Thanks, Napstablook. I'm glad you wanted to help and all, but...hats aren't really my thing, y'know?" He took the hat off his head. "Hats are more your type of style."

 _"_ _Oh..."_ Napstablook looked at the ground. _"Sorry..."_

Mad Dummy cringed, feeling guilty. "But...if it makes you happy, I can wear it." He put it back on his head.

Napstablook looked up at him. _"Oh...you don't have to..."_

"Nah, I can live with it. Besides—I'm glad you thought of me." Mad Dummy shrugged as he glanced up at his hat. He had to admit, it actually didn't look that bad on him.

 _"_ _So…where are you planning on going for your date?"_ Napstablook asked.

"Muffet suggested MTT Resort, although I'm still not sure..." Mad Dummy mumbled, looking over at Mettaton. Unsurprisingly, Mettaton had made sure that an MTT resort was available on the surface for those who still wished to see him perform. However, the dummy wasn't too keen on the idea since, despite Mettaton's protests, he was sure his cousin would be there as well, watching him.

"Like I've already told you, Maddy...everything will be fine! My next performance isn't until tomorrow night, so you'll be free from me." Mettaton winked. "Now, go out and have fun, darling!"

Mad Dummy narrowed his eyes at him in suspicion, but finally grew comfortable enough to hop out the door, leaving Mettaton and Napstablook alone. Napstablook looked over at the robot, who was giggling and clapping his hands.

 _"_ _Are you...sure that Mad will like this idea...?"_ Napstablook asked timidly.

"Oh, trust me, Blooky—he and Muffet will _love_ it! It'll certainly make it a night to remember!" Mettaton happily dashed out the door. "He'll thank me when it's over!"

 _"_ _Oh...oh dear..."_ Napstablook trembled, but he knew there wasn't anything he could do to stop Mettaton.

* * *

Mad Dummy arrived at Muffet's bakery and waited by the front door, shifting uncomfortably. He glanced down to look at his watch, only to be reminded of his lack of limbs and a watch in the first place.

The sound of a door shutting suddenly startled him, and he turned around. For a moment, it was as if all time had stopped, and his eyes were locked onto Muffet as she faced him. Her hair was up in a neatly-wrapped bun, and she wore a long, frilly, magenta dress with a large bow.

"Oh my! You look very handsome~" She giggled, looking at his tux and hat.

Mad Dummy didn't even hear her; he just stared.

"I…didn't go a bit overboard, did I?" She chuckled a little, looking down at herself.

Mad Dummy whipped his head back and forth. "N-No! No...er..." He cleared his throat, blushing in embarrassment. "Y-you...uh...look...nice." He attempted to smile.

"Oh, thank you! Ahuhuhu~" Muffet turned around to finish locking her shop, then folded her hands together. "Shall we go?"

Mad Dummy reluctantly nodded and proceeded to hop by her side as they headed to MTT Resort.

"So...um..." Muffet pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Have you ever...done this before?"

Mad Dummy nearly laughed out loud. Was she kidding around with him? Nobody wanted to be in the same room as him, let alone _go out_ with him. "Never."

"...Neither have I," she admitted with a small snicker.

"Really?" Mad Dummy couldn't believe it. After all, she _was_ fairly attractive, he had to admit...

"There have been a couple who have tried...but..." She paused, a scowl suddenly consuming her features. "All they wanted was my money, those blood-sucking savages!" Mad Dummy flinched. "I care about my bakery dearly, and most of my money is used to help all the spiders, darnit!"

Mad Dummy took in her words and gritted his teeth, shaking in rage. "THOSE **_DUMMIES!"_** He turned red and flung around. "I WOULD'VE BEATEN THOSE JERKS TO THE GROUND! NO WAY THEY'RE GETTING EVEN A **_PENNY_** FROM SOMEONE WHO SPENDS HER WHOLE LIFE GIVING TO OTHERS! THAT'S JUST SELFISH _SELFISH_ **_SELFISH!_** **THEY'LL HAVE TO GET PAST ME BEFORE THEY GET THEIR GRUBBY-LITTLE HANDS ON ANY BIT OF YOUR CASH—"** Mad Dummy's rant was interrupted by a kiss on his cheek.

"I didn't mean to make you upset, dearie~" Muffet giggled. "It's quite all right now, but...thank you."

Mad Dummy simmered down and gave an involuntary squeak. A smile slowly crossed his face as he blushed again. "I...um...it's no problem..." He was glad she never got after him for his short temper.

"Well, here we are!" Muffet pointed at the large building in front of them. She stepped up to the door and held it open for Mad Dummy, who was still red as he hopped in.

"Th-thanks..." he muttered. "I could've opened the door for you, though." Although he had so hands of his own, he still could've opened it using his magic.

"It's fine, dearie. Just thought I'd help." She smiled as they both came inside. "I believe you know this place better than I do, so where shall we go to eat?"

Mad Dummy's eyes searched the room, landing on the burger emporium. Burgerpants was at the counter, and the dummy couldn't help but give a dry laugh.

"Oh, were you thinking about going there?" Muffet asked, pointing at the shop.

Mad Dummy shook his head and snorted. "Nah. We're not likely to get in there, anyway."

Just after he spoke, Burgerpants caught sight of him and shook his head. "NOPE." The metal window was yanked down in a flash, a sign taped onto it saying "CLOSED".

"Um..." Muffet eyed the window and scratched her head in confusion.

"Long story short, him and I aren't on good terms," Mad Dummy stated indifferently, hopping past the shop. "The guy can't stand Mettaton, so it's only natural that he also can't stand his resentful, knife-throwing cousin." He scoffed.

"You threw a knife at him?" Muffet blinked, although she honestly wasn't surprised.

"No, but I was _close_ ," Mad Dummy hissed lowly. "I heard that creep talking crap about Mettaton, so he was _asking_ for it! Napstablook stopped me before I could do anything, though..."

"Oh. But...I thought you didn't like Mettaton?" Muffet raised a brow.

"I'll admit, we don't have the _best_ relationship at times, but he and Napstablook are the only family I've got," he admitted. "I still love him, despite wanting to beat him to the ground the majority of the time."

Muffet smiled. "I think that's very sweet, dearie. Most people don't like to admit to their relationships, thinking it'll make them look weak."

Mad Dummy looked at the ground for a moment, then noticed the room in which Mettaton would always perform. "Here's the place." They headed inside, soon taking a seat at one of the many tables that filled the room. At the front was a giant stage, where Snowy the Snowdrake was currently acting out his comedy routine.

"Hello, and welcome to MTT Resort! What would you like to drink?" A waitress asked them.

"Just water is fine." Mad Dummy wasn't going to take any risks with soda again.

"I'll have some tea, please," Muffet smiled, and the waitress nodded before leaving. "So...is Mettaton performing tonight, by any chance?" she asked curiously.

"Nope. Mettaton knew I would prefer if he didn't follow me around or anything, so..." He chuckled a little, staring at the table. He still wasn't that used to having a normal conversation with people, seeing how everyone always avoided him.

Muffet didn't seem to notice; instead, she stared at a piece of paper on the wall. "Er...dearie...?"

"Hm?" Mad Dummy looked up, but was interrupted by a booming voice over the loudspeakers.

 ** _"_** ** _Now, performing live at MTT Resort...give it up for MTT himself—METTATON!"_**

The crowd screamed and cheered for their favorite, gorgeous robot. Mad Dummy, on the other hand, felt all the color drain from his face. His soul was pounding, and he feared it would burst right out of his chest.

 _(No NO_ _ **NO.)**_

"Welcome, beauties and gentlebeauties!" Mettaton beamed as he posed dramatically on stage.

The crowd went absolutely wild, but Mad Dummy refused to look at his cousin. Muffet was starting to fidget, giving her date a worrying glance.

"Now, tonight is a very _special_ night~" Mettaton told the audience, wiggling his eyebrows. "Out in the audience is none other than my dear cousin, Mad Dummy, on his very first date! Let's give him and his date a big hand, shall we!?"

The crowd whooped and clapped as the spotlight fell on Mad Dummy and Muffet. Muffet grinned anxiously, giving a small wave, but Mad Dummy didn't even move. He was pure white, eyes red, gaping at the table. He didn't even blink.

Mettaton grabbed his microphone as the lights dimmed, and he smiled as he wiped a tear from his eye. "And now, to celebrate this iconic moment with my beloved cousin, I want to share with you all a song I have written just for him. A song to show how much I love him dearly, and how I could never ask for a more darling cousin..." He sniffed, and even a few people in the crowd were wiping their eyes.

Before Mettaton opened his mouth to sing, Mad Dummy was out of there. Muffet had no clue he could move that fast without legs. She quickly stood up.

"Mad!? MAD!"

Mettaton shut his mouth, eyes wide as he glanced around the room, but his cousin was gone. "M…Maddy?" The room was silent other than the music that was playing. "Oh…" His face fell, and he bit his lip as he motioned for someone to stop the music. "Oh no..."

Mad Dummy was down the sidewalk, bolting past people and shoving them out of the way. 'Mad' was an understatement compared to how he felt right now. Why would Mettaton blatantly _humiliate_ him in front of everyone like that? Heck, why would he blatantly _lie_ to him and say he wasn't even going to show up?

"MAD!"

Mad Dummy could hear Muffet shouting his name, but he didn't stop. His eyes were beginning to water, however, and he could no longer see what lied ahead of him. He tripped on the curb and fell face-first onto the concrete, and that was when he finally broke down. He couldn't stop sobbing, cursing, screaming to his heart's content.

"M-Mad..." Muffet finally found the dummy lying on the sidewalk, and she slowly placed a hand on him to comfort him.

 **"** **WHY WOULD HE DO THIS TO ME!?"** he roared.

"Shh...it's all right," Muffet gently soothed. "He was just...trying to do something nice for our date..." Even though she didn't necessarily like Mettaton's idea, she still thought it was pretty considerate of him to do so.

 **"** **HE** ** _LIED_** **TO ME! HE TOLD ME HE'D JUST LEAVE ME ALONE—"** His voice cracked as he choked on his words. **"HE** ** _KNOWS_** **I HATE BEING PUT ON THE SPOT! HE** ** _KNOWS_** **I HATE HAVING ALL THE ATTENTION PUT ON ME! HE...HE…"** He let out of cry of pure agony.

"Shh..." Muffet carefully picked him up and gave him a hug. "It's okay. He made a mistake. But at least he was trying to do something nice—"

 **"** **He made me look** ** _WEAK!_** **"** Mad Dummy wriggled out of her grip. **"And now** ** _EVERYONE'S_** **gonna walk all over me, and I-I…** oh gosh…" His tears returned as he shook uncontrollably. "I…I can't deal with it… **I CAN'T DEAL WITH IT! NOT AGAIN!** ** _NEVER_** **AGAIN!"**

"Again? What're you talking about?" Muffet tried again to console him, but he was obviously too upset.

 **"** **I CAN'T...I can't..."** He hung his head, trying to stop crying. " _Please_ …"

 _"_ _MADDY!"_

Muffet could hear Mettaton's thundering footsteps head over to them, but by the time she looked back, the dummy had vanished.

"M-Maddy!?" Mettaton reached Muffet and looked around. "Have you seen him?"

Muffet sighed, shutting her eyes. "I…don't think he wants to talk to you right now, dearie."

"I…I didn't know he'd be _that_ upset..." Mettaton cried, tears running down his face. "I just...I wanted to surprise him...a-and…oh gosh I'm a terrible cousin!" He covered his face as his body shook. "He _hates_ me!"

"I just...think he needs his space. I'm sure if you wait it out, h-he'll eventually...um..." Muffet trailed off, not knowing if Mad Dummy would want to ever see Mettaton again. "I…I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm going to head home..." She stepped off the curb and crossed the street.

Mettaton kept his face covered, knowing he had obviously made a terrible mistake. This would certainly be a night to remember, all right...


	8. Despondent

It was early the next morning, and Alphys folded some papers onto her desk. As she stood up from her chair, she glanced at the ground and decided she needed to sweep up since the floor was covered with wadded-up notes.

"Where's the broom...?" she muttered to herself, but then she remembered it was in the hall closet. She stepped out of her work room and over to the closet, turning the knob.

 _Click, click._

Alphys frowned. Why would the closet be locked? They hardly ever used it, anyway. She tried the door a couple more times, but the doorknob refused to turn. Finally, she headed into the kitchen and pulled out a key that was in one of the drawers. She took it back to the hall closet and placed it in the keyhole, turning the knob with ease.

"There!" Alphys smiled as she opened the door, but her face immediately fell when she saw exactly what—or _who—_ was inside. "U-Uh..."

Inside the closet was none other than Mad Dummy. He was lying on his side with his back facing her, so she couldn't tell if he was awake or not.

Alphys, forgetting all about the mess in her room, promptly shut the door. "U-UNDYNE! COULD YOU...UM...COULD YOU C-COME OVER HERE A SECOND!?" she hollered, unsure of what to do.

Undyne nearly slammed open the door from her room. "What is it? Are you hurt!?"

"O-Oh, no," Alphys chuckled a little. "I...just see f-for yourself..." She pointed at the closet.

Undyne raised a brow and opened the closet door, staring straight at the unexpected inhabitant. "Well. Okay." She blinked for a moment before shutting the door.

"I-Is he alright...?" Alphys stammered.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that his date didn't exactly go as planned." Undyne muttered. "Poor guy."

"Sh-should we do something?" Alphys asked, eyeing the closet.

"Is he awake?"

Alphys leaned next to the door and heard mumbling. "I think s-so..."

"Good." Undyne stormed over to the closet to yank it open, but the door didn't budge. It was obviously unlocked, so that meant someone was pulling it back. "Seriously? You're playing _this_ game, now?"

No response.

"You _better_ not be giving me the silent treatment again, Mad! We talked about this!" She pulled the doorknob harder, but it still wouldn't open.

"Sorry. ' _No talking to the punching bag',_ remember?" a muffled voice hissed.

"DON'T YOU _**DARE**_ PULL THAT CRAP ON ME AGAIN!" Undyne brought a spear out. "I'LL BREAK THE DOOR DOWN, DARN IT!"

More mumbling. It sounded as if Mad Dummy was talking to someone in there.

"YOU CAN'T IGNORE ME FOREVER, MAD!" Undyne pressed her foot against the wall and furiously tried to pry the door open with her spear. The door creaked open a couple times, but as soon as she would stop, it would slam shut all over again. "How the heck is he keeping that door shut!?"

"W-Well, he does have magic—" Alphys began.

"OH, SCREW IT!" Several spears emerged from behind Undyne and struck the door all at once, completely sabotaging it.

Once the dust cleared out, it was revealed that Mad Dummy had been lying on the ground the entire time. Miniature dummies and dummy-bots surrounded him, and Undyne assumed they were the ones who had been keeping the door shut.

"Okay, now that I've finally got your attention, get up. We're going to Napstablook."

Mad Dummy completely ignored her, laying face-down and not moving.

"MOVE YOUR MOLASSES, PAL! I'M _**NOT**_ PLAYING ANY MORE GAMES!" Undyne hollered, stomping her foot.

"I'd rather _die_ than go back out there," the dummy hissed, still not looking at her.

Undyne clenched her fists. "And why is that?"

"Everyone is going to take one look at me and laugh. Nobody is _**ever** _ going to take me seriously again! IT'LL BE JUST LIKE BACK THEN ALL OVER AGAIN, BECAUSE OF _**HIM!"**_

"What, _Napstablook?"_ Undyne's mouth came wide open. Mad Dummy screeched incoherently, and she took that as a 'no'. "Oh." She blinked. Then his words began to register. "OH." Her face contorted into a deadly scowl. "What did Mettaton do _now?"_ She growled, bringing up another spear. "I swear, if he ruined your date—"

The dummy glared at her, and his eyes said it all.

"HE _**DID,**_ DIDN'T HE!?" She hurled her spear at the wall. "THAT LITTLE—! HE JUST HAS TO INSERT HIMSELF INTO _EVERYTHING_ , DOESN'T HE!?"

Mad Dummy slammed his head onto the ground again, and his little dummies snuggled close to him to comfort him. Alphys nearly squealed and was almost tempted to take a picture, but she knew now wasn't a good time.

"Okay, look," Undyne shook her head, "I'm not sure _exactly_ what happened, but I think I know enough. How about we head to Mettaton right now, and then we can both beat him up as much as you want. Sound good?"

"No. I'm _not_ going out there ever again!" He grouched

Undyne frowned, but came up with a different idea. "Okay, how about if Muffet goes with you instead?" He froze and looked up at her. "Will you feel more comfortable going out, then?"

Mad Dummy didn't respond at first. He really did want to see Muffet again, but what if she saw him just as weak as everyone else probably did? He tightly shut his eyes. No...she wouldn't think that. Not after the way she tried to console him last night. And he just pushed her away...

"Fine," he whispered hoarsely, slowly picking himself up.

* * *

In as little as 4 minutes, Muffet was at the door right after Undyne had called her. Even though Muffet would've been more than willing to close up the bakery early, several of the other spiders agreed to take care of everything while she was away.

"Mad?" Muffet quickly entered the living room, where Mad Dummy was sprawled out on the floor. He glanced up at her, and she ran over to pick him up. She gave him a hug, knowing he was probably still miserable from last night. "Are you okay?"

"I feel like crap."

Muffet couldn't hold back a laugh at his nonchalance.

"It probably didn't help that he slept in the closet all night," Undyne muttered, and after Mad Dummy gave her a glare, she got the point and left the room. "Call me when you're planning on beating up Mettaton!" she called out.

"Oh..." Muffet looked down and scratched the back of her neck. "Were you...planning on talking to him?" she asked Mad Dummy.

"What am I _supposed_ to tell him!?" He hollered. "It's bad _enough_ he practically showed me off to everyone in his fan-club as some featherbrained numbskull to make him more popular! He didn't even _think_ about how his little charade would make me feel! Heck, he deliberately _LIED_ to me!"

"He told me after you ran off that he was hoping to surprise you...but...I do see how shortsighted his plan was." Muffet cringed.

Mad Dummy slammed his head on the ground again, losing count of how many times he had already done so. "Of course, you're not as upset to be put on the spot since you run a freakin' bakery. You're around people all the time!"

Muffet frowned and opened her mouth to respond, but he wasn't finished.

"For me, I just...I can't handle it! I can't handle everyone staring at me...judging me...it's why I'm so anti-social, for crying out loud!" Mad Dummy looked up at Muffet. "I didn't mind being around people during the date, since I knew I was with someone who actually liked me for who I was. Having that mindset actually made me _oblivious_ to everyone else around me, but then when he pointed me out and put the freaking spotlight on us..." He trembled in fury.

"Oh, Mad...I'm so sorry." Muffet wrapped her arms around him. "I wish there was something I could've done to help. But...why are you so afraid of what people think of you?" She thought about what he said last night, something about not wanting to deal with being walked on all over again. "Did...something happen to you before?"

Mad Dummy averted her gaze. "I don't want to talk about it." She frowned at him, and he shook his head. "Not now. Maybe later." He turned away and started hopping to the door. "Let's just go. The sooner I talk to Mettaton, the less obvious my urge to blow him up will be. And trust me...I _really_ want to blow him up."

"Are you sure?" Muffet raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you have NO idea. It's been a while since my dummy-bots have seen some action!"

"No, I mean actually talking to Mettaton." Muffet was surprised he voluntarily suggested it.

"Are you kidding me? _Heck_ , no!" Mad Dummy hollered, turning around. "I'm still trying to convince myself not to bring my knife! But...it's either now or later, and I know that the more I stick around here, the angrier I'm going to get!" He opened the door but as soon as he did, he froze in place. Muffet waited a bit, but all he did was blankly stare outside.

"...Mad?"

"Oh, who am I kidding—I can't do this!" He slammed the door shut. "I don't even want to see his smug face! I bet he'll get on my case about how I acted all 'childish' and 'immature'...GAH! What if everyone LAUGHS at me!?" It was bad enough he felt so vulnerable; the last thing he wanted was people pointing it out.

Muffet patted him on the back. "Nobody's going to laugh at you. And if they _do..._ well, they'll just have to answer to me then, won't they, dearie?~" she giggled.

Mad Dummy smirked, feeling just a little better. He shook his head. "Alright, alright." He sighed and faced the door again. "I can do this!"

"You can do this!" Muffet grinned.

"I'm gonna talk to Mettaton!" He straightened his posture, opening the door.

"You're gonna talk to Mettaton!" Muffet clapped her hands.

"And _**then**_ I'm gonna blow him up!"

"And then you're...wait, what—" Before Muffet could react properly, Mad Dummy was already halfway down the street, his dummy-bots close behind. Apparently, he didn't care about getting on the wrong side of the media anymore. "MAD? _MAD!"_

* * *

 **Just in case you're wondering, the whole "silent treatment" and "no talking to the punching bag" nonsense happened between Undyne and Mad Dummy in my story "Just a Punching Bag".**

 **Also, I couldn't resist drawing Mad Dummy with his dummies and dummy-bots snuggled up against him: f** **av . me / d9s5x9h (without spaces)**


	9. Snapped

Unlike Mad Dummy, Mettaton didn't lock himself in his room all day. In fact, Napstablook was starting to get really worried since he hadn't seen them both at all since last night. The ghost couldn't help but feel sick. Even though he knew Mad Dummy wasn't mad at him personally, he still felt guilty. After all, he _knew_ that Mad Dummy wouldn't like Mettaton's idea, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it to Mettaton since the robot seemed so excited.

 _(If I stopped Mettaton, Mad would've been happy...but Mettaton would be upset. But because I didn't stop Mettaton...now they're_ both _upset. I just can't please_ everyone _, can I...?)_

Napstablook hated all this tension. All he wanted to do was curl up in bed, listen to his tunes, and drown out all the misery and hatred that he was sure his cousins felt towards each other now. He just wanted everyone to be happy.

* * *

"MAD— _STOP!"_ Muffet sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her, but she was nowhere near the furious dummy that was dead-set on revenge.

Mad Dummy was too far to hear her. He didn't dare stop for anything as he tore through the streets and into the neighborhood of Napstablook and Mettaton. Even his dummy-bots were struggling to keep up with him.

Everyone on the sidewalk literally dove for cover as he sped by, fearing for their lives. Muffet anxiously grinned and spat out apologies as quickly as she could as she dashed after him. "I'M SERIOUS, MAD! DON'T DO THIS!"

" **DUMMY BOTS! FI** — _AGH!"_ As soon as Mad Dummy came to a complete halt in front of the house, Muffet tackled him at full force.

"YOUR OTHER COUSIN'S PROBABLY IN THERE, DARNIT!" Muffet screamed.

Mad Dummy irritably shook his head and blinked at the house. Suddenly, his soul skipped a beat as he realized what he had almost done. "N-Napstablook...oh crap." Although Napstablook was a ghost and wouldn't have been hurt, Mad Dummy knew the ghost would probably never speak to him again if he destroyed his house.

Muffet slowly helped him up and brushed off her dress. "Are you good, now?"

"S-Sorry," he stammered, staring at the ground. "I wasn't thinking. Let me see if Napstablook's home." He started hopping forward, but Muffet rushed out in front of him.

"You're seriously not thinking about blowing up the house if he's not home, are you!?"

"What—NO!" Mad Dummy hollered. "I would never do that to Napstablook! I just...want to be sure that he's not around if Mettaton's home." He turned back towards the house, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Things are going to get pretty ugly."

Muffet still wasn't sure, but resolved to stay close by the house just in case anything got out of hand. And by the looks of it, things were _definitely_ not going to end well if Mettaton was home.

Mad Dummy opened the door and hopped right in, knowing he didn't have to knock. "Napstablook!?" he hollered.

Napstablook heard the familiar voice, but didn't move. He really didn't want to face Mad Dummy; not after what happened last night. What if all the blame was gonna be put on him? The ghost whimpered and turned up his music, slowly phasing under his bed.

"NAPSTABLOOK!" Mad Dummy hollered, but he received no response. "AGH!" He marched out of the house.

Napstablook waited until he heard the door slam shut to return to his bed. Once he did so, however, he felt even _more_ guilty. He tried to distract his thoughts with his music, but he finally decided he couldn't take it anymore. Napstablook had to make sure his cousins were alright and if they made up.

" _I just want all this to end already..."_ He cried softly.

* * *

Mad Dummy angrily hopped right past Muffet.

"Was he home?" the spider asked.

"Nobody was." He continued hopping forward. "But I may have a _slight_ idea as to where I can find Mettaton."

"Where?"

"Even though we're complete opposites when it comes to our reputation, temperance, sense of humor..." he chuckled dryly, "...I'm pretty sure he has the same mindset as me when it comes to where to go when we feel inferior to something. Or in his case, some _one_."

With that, the two found themselves stepping into none other than Grillby's just two minutes later. Judging by the crowd of people inside, Mettaton was definitely present. It wasn't long before Mad Dummy found his cousin at the counter, burying his head in his arms.

"Get up. We need to talk," the dummy hissed. Although he obviously wasn't planning on 'talking', he knew better than to start a fight in a crowded bar.

Mettaton didn't respond right away. He shifted a bit before drowsily raising his head, looking absolutely miserable. "I'm sorry, darling. I...I can't talk right now. Maybe later."

Mad Dummy almost felt _bad_ for him, but then he remembered why he was here in the first place. He opened his mouth to speak again, only to be distracted by other voices. He peered around, noticing that several people were eyeing him and whispering amongst themselves. "What are _**you**_ lookin' at!?" He pulled out his knife, but Muffet hastily dragged him back.

"Hey—HEY, calm down." She faced the monsters and bared her fangs. They instantly looked away. Muffet turned back to the dummy and noticed he was turning pale, just like last night. "Whoa, hey. Are you alright?"

"E...Everyone keeps...staring at me." Mad Dummy whispered, his eyes falling to the floor. "I don't like it."

Muffet frowned and glanced back and forth from him to Mettaton. "You don't think that he told anyone what happened, did he...?" she mumbled under her breath, and it was as if someone had slapped Mad Dummy in the face.

"...Wait— _ **WHAT—"**_ The dummy's eyes began to widen as he stared at Mettaton. "No...he **WOULDN'T..."** His blood began to turn cold.

"I wouldn't what?" Mettaton tiredly turned to look at him and flinched at his venomous stare. Once everything began to add up, the robot gasped and stood up straight. "Wait. WAIT WAIT WAIT—"

" _ **YOU!"**_ The dummy violently leapt onto the counter, nearly giving Grillby a heart attack. **"YOU TOLD _EVERYONE_ WHAT HAPPENED, DIDN'T YOU!?" **

"I—NO! I DIDN'T—" Mettaton began, but it was useless.

Dummy-bots flew by Mad Dummy's side and prepared their rockets. He wasn't holding anything back this time.

"Mad, wait!" Muffet shrieked, not wanting him to destroy the bar. She started pushing Mettaton towards the exit. "GO— _GO!"_

Mettaton bolted out the door, and the rockets followed. Luckily, nothing in the bar got destroyed, but there was no guarantee for anything outdoors to remain untouched.

Muffet awkwardly turned to face the remaining monsters in the bar. "Um..." She cleared her throat. "There's been a slight misunderstanding...but don't worry! We'll fix things up as soon as possible, so just...um...sit back, relax, and resume your business!" She laughed a little, but after hearing something explode outside, she gulped. "Uh, now, if you'll excuse me for a moment..." She frantically ran out the door.

Unbeknownst to her, a silhouette materialized from the corner, making it evident he was watching the entire scenario. No one noticed the burning tears that fell down his face, hissing as they dropped onto the ground below.

 _(Every day. Every single day I stand here and watch those two constantly bicker. Not once do they think about how I feel. Not once do they even acknowledge the fact that I can hear every word. It's like they don't even **care**_ **.** _And I can't take it. Not anymore. **NOT** anymore.)_

* * *

Mettaton ducked under flying missiles and tried as best as he could to stay out of the way of other buildings and passing bystanders. "MAD, PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!"

" **I'M _NEVER_ LISTENING TO YOU AGAIN!" **Mad Dummy roared as his dummies continued to fire. **"BECAUSE OF YOU, I'M _NEVER_ GONNA BE ABLE TO WALK 2 FEET WITHOUT HAVING SOMEONE JUDGE ME!" **

"MAD! I...I was just upset, a-and they asked what was wrong, but I didn't tell them!" Mettaton pleaded, still not as coordinated due to spending all day moping at the counter at Grillby's.

A rocket launched in front of Mettaton. Once it exploded, he came to a screeching halt and lost his balance. He toppled forward and rolled around on the sidewalk, hissing in pain. His eyes widened as he glanced up Mad Dummy, who towered over him for a change.

" _MAD!"_ Muffet charged towards them, but this time, she wasn't using her angry-mom tone. She actually sounded _scared._

Noticing her change of behavior, Mad Dummy's fury slowly began to lessen as he stopped his missiles in mid-air.

"Y-You need to stop, right now!" She panted, her eyes wide and frantic. Her eyes searched the sky, and both Mad Dummy and Mettaton wondered what she was looking for.

"What's wrong?" Mad Dummy growled. He was still pretty irritated, but the look on her face was starting to worry him. Suddenly, his remaining missiles started flashing and twitching. They dropped to the ground, a little puddle forming underneath them. "What the—" Mad Dummy hollered, but as soon as he recognized the droplets that were raining on his dummy-bots, he shut his mouth.

" _Oh..."_ Napstablook calmly soared down and blinked at his cousins. His entire body was blazing red. _"I didn't mean to interrupt your quarrel...please, carry on."_

* * *

 **Yup...Napstablook finally snaps. BWA-HA-HA!**


	10. Confession (END)

Muffet took a slow step behind Mad Dummy as she cautiously peered at the angry ghost. Nobody said a word, and it seemed as though the silence lasted for several minutes.

Mettaton stood up and regained his balance, staring straight at Napstablook. "B…Blooky...?"

 ** _"Now_** _you choose to notice me."_ Napstablook's voice was completely monotone.

Mettaton twitched involuntarily. "...What?" He was at a loss for words.

 _"Oh..."_ Napstablook dismissively shook his head. _"Forget it...you probably don't care...you never **did** , anyway..."_

"Napstablook...are you alright?" Mad Dummy wouldn't admit it, but even _he_ was actually intimidated by his cousin's abnormal behavior.

 _"Hm...?"_ Napstablook looked over at him. _"Oh...I'm fine...I mean, that's what you always assume...right?"_ He never rose his voice, nor did he change the vacant expression on his face. _"Why would you worry about my behavior **now** when I've been dealing with your quarrels for practically forever...?"_

Mad Dummy felt a shiver run down his nonexistent spine, and Mettaton was completely frozen.

 _"You can go on, now...don't let me ruin your fun..."_ Napstablook calmly backed away and looked at his cousins expectantly.

Not one sound came out of them.

Napstablook trembled. _"Just **do it** already!" _ One thing Mettaton and Mad Dummy knew about Napstablook was that he _never_ yelled. _"You never had a problem with arguing in front of me **before!"**_ When he still received no response, more tears fell down his face before he could stop them. He took off before anyone had the guts to respond.

"Blooky!" Mettaton yelped as he chased his cousin down. He tried to grab him, but this time, Napstablook let his hands phase right through him.

 _"You two never stop to think about how this makes me feel..."_ Napstablook whispered, stopping only for a brief moment. _"I've been standing in the middle of all this conflict for years...and I can't deal with it anymore!"_ He started flying again.

"N-no—Napstablook! Please!" Mettaton cried.

 **"STOP!"**

The two froze in place, reluctantly turning around to face the voice.

Mad Dummy hung his head as he hopped over to them both. Muffet followed and tried to help calm him, but he shook away from her. He stopped when he was between his cousins, but he didn't look at them. "You both deserve to know why I got so worked up over last night."

Mettaton shook his head. "Mad, you don't have to explain yourself. It was all my fault; I lied to you! And I completely forgot how you didn't like being put on the spot—"

"That's not the only reason I got upset," Mad Dummy cut in. Everyone expected him to explain, but he didn't speak any further.

Mettaton frowned, and Napstablook flew a little closer to them. "Then…what is it, Mad?"

Mad Dummy turned away. "I never told you both the _real_ reason I left you guys years ago. The _real_ reason I wanted a body so badly. It wasn't because I was _bored_ …it wasn't because I had some dream I wanted to achieve. It…i-it…" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"M…Mad…you don't need to—" Mettaton began, but the dummy shook his head.

"No. The thing is, people nowadays make me out to be some stupid, immature bully. But the truth? Back underground… _I_ was the one who was bullied."

Napstablook's eyes widened. He had been picked on several times, too, due to his sensitive nature, but he had no clue he wasn't the only one.

Mad Dummy glanced his way and nodded. "Yup. Napstablook knows the feeling. The only difference with me, however, was that they didn't go 'easy' on me. I wasn't one to ignore it as easily as Napstablook, either." He frowned. "Everyone always walked all over me like I was some doormat, and I **_hated_** it! I was always teased on my 'adorable' appearance, harassed because of my short temper, and especially taunted about how I could 'never hurt a fly'! It's because of that, well...I wanted revenge." He glared at the ground. "I wanted to teach every single one of them a lesson. Something to show them that I was _not_ weak. That I was _not_ all harmless and innocent as they thought. That I actually _could_ hurt someone instead of always phasing right through them."

Mettaton covered his mouth in shock. "But..." He slowly lowered his hands, feeling incredibly guilty for not knowing of this sooner. "But you...you never said a thing about—"

"Yeah? Well that's because I didn't want you to stick up for me," Mad Dummy grumbled, not looking at him. "That would just make them pick on me even _more_. I wanted to get back at them all by myself, so I left you guys in the dark, and for that, I'm sorry. That was when I decided to leave. I went out to find a new body—something that would prove to everyone that I wasn't some doormat they could walk on and make fun of at every turn."

 _"So you...found a dummy...?"_ Napstablook whispered. When Mad Dummy looked at him, he shrank back, not wanting to offend him.

Mad Dummy sighed and rolled his eyes. "I admit...a dummy wasn't necessarily the body I was looking for in particular, but it was good enough. Anyone that came across me, I scared away, and nobody ever picked on me ever again. Finally, I was alone and satisfied." He gave a weak smile. "Heh. But...after time passed...I'm pretty sure you all know how I felt then."

Muffet stayed back and listened silently, stunned by his story.

Mad Dummy frowned again, looking at Mettaton. "The reason I got so angry last night was because I thought it'd happen all over again. All the taunts, jokes, harassment…I was paranoid that everyone would judge me just like before. It's my own fault that I relapsed. I know I reacted a lot harsher than I should, and I'm sorry." He looked at Napstablook. "So…if you have anyone to be mad at, be mad at me. I'm the one who started this. I should've just forgiven Mettaton and put all this behind me."

"No, I… _I'm_ so sorry, Mad..." Mettaton covered his face. "I made a terrible mistake...I should've known..."

"Mettaton, it wasn't your fault. I've been keeping this hidden for so long, it was only a matter of time before it broke me. Still, that's _never_ an excuse to hurt my own family." Mad Dummy looked around at all the damage he had caused from the missiles. "I guess my name isn't _'Mad'_ for nothing, huh?" He chuckled dryly.

Mettaton reached out and hugged his cousin tightly. "Mad…I promise you that I will _never_ make that mistake again. It was incredibly selfish of me to lie to you and insert myself into what was supposed to be such an important night for you. Please forgive me."

Mad Dummy lowered his head. "As long as you forgive _me_ for...y'know...trying to blow you up..." he mumbled.

"Darling, I'm not the _least_ bit upset over that!" Mettaton told him. "What really matters to me is the fact that, just now, you were _honest_. You brought up a painful subject, and you _trusted_ us with it. Truthfully..." he chuckled in embarrassment, "I _never_ thought you would ever open up to us like that. But y'know what? That's just a sign that we're growing closer as a family." He hugged him again. "Thank you."

As they hugged, they noticed how Napstablook remained distant.

"...Blooky?" Mettaton frowned.

 _"I…I didn't mean to sound so...rude..."_ Napstablook whispered, floating back a bit. _"I was just so tired...I-I couldn't take all the fighting anymore..."_

"Napstablook—you had every right to be upset. We practically ignored you, for crying out loud." Mad Dummy shook his head.

"We're so sorry, Blooky..." Mettaton spread out his arms. "Can you forgive us?" Napstablook didn't even hesitate. He burst into tears as he flew into Mettaton's arms.

Mad Dummy couldn't help but laugh. "He never _is_ one to hold a grudge, after all..." He felt a tap on his back and turned around.

Muffet crossed her arms. "Mad…you are one of the strangest people I've ever met." The dummy raised a brow at her, puzzled. "What made you become so enamored with me? I, who practically screamed at you and chucked a sign at your head?" She snickered. "I'm pretty sure _I_ was judging you."

"Heh..." He blushed as he looked down again. "Well...you never threatened me or kicked me out of the bakery, so I still say you treated me better than anyone else…"

Muffet lifted his chin and kissed him on the nose. "Then you wouldn't mind if we tried again?~" she giggled.

Mad Dummy blinked. "You mean...a second date?" He was surprised she was willing to, seeing how their first date ended up a complete and utter disaster.

"Of course! In fact…why not tonight?"

He stiffened. "Uh...I…well...um...I mean...I—"

"Of _course_ he will, darling!" Mettaton winked, and Mad Dummy gave him a harsh look until he added, "And Napstablook and I will stay home tonight. Won't we, Blooky? We can listen to some of your new mixes!"

Napstablook smiled a little and nodded. _"Yeah...that sounds nice..."_

Mettaton patted Mad Dummy's back. "How about you run along and get ready? I'm sure you already know how." He smirked.

Mad Dummy looked up, still red. "Th…thanks, Mettaton."

"Of course, Maddy. Come on, Blooky!" Mettaton took Napstablook's hand and they headed off.

Once Mad Dummy and Muffet were left alone, an awkward silence fell upon them. "So..." Muffet cleared her throat. "Um...I suppose we'll be going somewhere _other_ than MTT Resort?" she asked with a nervous smile.

Mad Dummy thought about it. "Well…I suppose we can go back there and start over again. Besides—I should probably trust Mettaton this time."

Muffet gave him a hug. "I'm really glad you two finally made up. It was very brave of you to tell us everything that you went through." She let go and kissed his cheek before whispering in his ear, "And if anyone _ever_ picks on you again, I'll see to it that my pet has an extra snack later. Ahuhuhu~" He couldn't hold back a grin as she let go of him. "Well, I'll see you tonight, dearie!~"

"Bye..." Mad Dummy smiled as he watched her leave.

"Oh, Maddy!?" He turned around and saw Mettaton run to him. "Um...do me a favor and clean up the area a bit?" The robot grinned nervously as he gestured to items around the area that got destroyed from the rockets.

And, just like that, Mad Dummy's glee immediately dropped to zero. "...Are you **_kidding_ ** me right now...?"

"Well, this place won't clean up itself..." Mettaton began, but by his tone, the dummy could tell he was joking. "Alright—you got me. You go on and get ready for your date, Maddy. I'll clean up, and if anyone asks, a jealous hater threw a little tantrum after one of my performances." He laughed.

Mad Dummy chuckled a little, but it died off after a while.

Mettaton could tell what he was thinking. "Don't worry...Mad. I'll be sure that nobody thinks unjustly of you after what happened today. After all, I think _I'm_ mostly to blame." He smiled, and Mad Dummy felt a lot better. "Have a good time, darling!"

Mad Dummy nodded as he hopped away. Looking back on the day's events, he actually felt as if he had gotten a lot off his chest. Because of that, he was finally content. His family had grown closer, he found someone who genuinely cared about him, and it seemed that things were looking bright for his life on the surface. Of course, this didn't mean that his anger management issues had drawn to a close or diminished in any way, but satisfaction was nearly at its peak, and he knew he could finally be happy—an emotion he had _never_ expected to feel in a long time.

"Everything's…really going to be okay."

* * *

 **That marks the end of this story. I greatly appreciate all your positive feedback! Without the encouragement, I probably would've ended the story a** ** _lot_** **sooner. XD But don't worry** — **I plan on writing more with these three cousins in the future ;)**


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